Shane Cox, National Firearm Act Violations, KS 2023

Shane Cox, 45, of Chanute, Kansas, is off the streets — for now — after being handed two years probation and an $800 special assessment for a string of federal firearms violations tied to his Army surplus store, Tough Guys. A federal jury convicted Cox in November on multiple counts under the National Firearm Act, including possession of unregistered explosive devices, illegal silencer sales, and operating as an unlicensed dealer and manufacturer of suppressors.

Charges against Cox included unlawful possession of explosive devices not registered in the National Firearms Transfer Record (counts two and four), possession of a short-barreled rifle (count three), and the unlawful transfer of unregistered silencers in five separate counts (six, seven, eight, nine, and 11). He was also found guilty of manufacturing a silencer (count 10), operating as a dealer and manufacturer without paying federal occupational tax (count 12), and possessing an unregistered silencer (count 13).

Jeremy Kettler, 28, also of Chanute, Kan., was sentenced to one year probation and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment after being convicted on count 13: unlawful possession of an unregistered silencer. His role was narrower, but no less illegal — evidence showed he knowingly possessed a suppressor that never passed through federal registration channels.

During trial, federal prosecutors laid out a damning case: Cox wasn’t just selling surplus gear — he was running a backroom operation churning out untraceable silencers and stashing unregistered explosives. The government proved Cox manufactured and sold the devices without any oversight, skirting federal law and putting lethal tools in civilian hands without a paper trail.

Cox’s store, Tough Guys, may have flown under the radar as a niche seller of military memorabilia, but investigators revealed it was a hub for illegal firearms activity. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) spearheaded the investigation, eventually busting the operation with hard evidence collected during the probe.

U.S. Attorney Tom Beall, who announced the sentences, credited the ATF and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rich Hathaway for securing the convictions. “These violations aren’t technicalities,” Beall said. “Unregistered silencers and explosives are tools of crime, and we’re not letting them slip through the cracks.” Cox and Kettler may be breathing free air, but under federal supervision — and under the law’s long shadow.